One driver injured in three-vehicle crash

December 28, 2006|By YaSHEKIA SMALLS Tribune Staff Writer

EDWARDSBURG — Bonnie Sandburg was reading leisurely in the back part of her house early Thursday afternoon when she heard a big boom. “It sounded like a transformer had blown,” Sandburg said. “When I came to the front of the home, I could see smoke rising. ... I don't know if that was from the debris of the roads or a transformer.” That was shortly after 12:52 p.m., when the Cass County Sheriff's Department responded to a three-vehicle accident involving a Benton Harbor Red Arrow Transport Inc. semi-truck on U.S. 12 Highway near Leet Road in Milton Township. The chain-reaction accident occurred when a pickup truck driver who police said was fasting Thursday afternoon had fainted, striking the semi-truck and causing another man to run into a utility pole along U.S. 12. The man who fainted, 55-year-old Thomas Seggerman, of Granger, Ind., was driving a tan-colored Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck eastbound on U.S. 12 when he crossed the center line and struck the semi-truck being driven westbound by 41-year-old Randy Schultz, of Benton Harbor. Police believe Seggerman had either given blood earlier or was preparing to donate blood, Cass County Capt. Lyndon Parrish said. “He was fasting at the time, and he felt that's why he passed out,” Parrish said. Seggerman was transported to South Bend's Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries, officials said. A gray-colored GMC Yukon sports utility vehicle driven by 52-year-old Steven Mitchell, of Niles, was following Seggerman and tried to avoid being involved in the collision. Mitchell ran off the roadway to the right and struck a utility pole but was not injured during the accident, officials said. Near a “Pass With Care” sign east of Leet Road, downed power lines had to be restored by American Electric Power-Indiana Michigan Power, with trucks from Buchanan and St. Joseph on scene. Schultz, the Red Arrow Transport semi-truck driver, was carrying a load from an Aggregate Industries gravel pit near Anderson Road in Edwardsburg when Seggerman's pickup truck plowed into him. He received minor cuts to his face and was treated with bandages at the scene, he said. Schultz stood beside a mangled U.S. 12 West sign that lay near his driver's side tire, which was knocked off the front end of his semi-truck Thursday, he said. “We tried to stay out of his way,” he said of Seggerman, “but there was no attempt to swerve or nothing — just dead on.” The semi-truck's entire cab, located west of the intersection, was split, and the truck's hydraulic tank lay on the opposite side of the road east of the intersection where the crash occurred — far from near the fender where it used to be, Schultz said. The truck's engine and frame underneath were also ripped off, as oil was spilled over the equipment, he said. “I'm thinking they're going to total this thing,” said Schultz, who said he's driven the road quite frequently. Both the damaged pickup truck and SUV were towed Thursday afternoon. The intersection of Leet Road and U.S. 12 was blocked off for a couple of hours as officials responded to the accident. Seatbelts were worn, and alcohol was not a factor in the accident, which remained under investigation Thursday, officials said. Edwardsburg Fire and Ambulance, SMCAS, Edwardsburg Police and the Michigan State Police in Niles assisted deputies at the scene. Staff writer YaShekia Smalls: yassmalls@sbtinfo.com (269) 687-7001